When we needed to hire a morning how producer, we put an ad in the CBS corporate listings. We said we were looking for a producer, but it was an entry level job, because we wanted to train her.
We also sent information to broadcast schools around the area.
We sent messages out to local college stations that we were looking for a producer.
We also put the word out at different radio stations around the area that we were looking for a producer. I didn’t care if we hired somebody from another station.
We got about 50 responses.
When they came in, the first thing we asked them was:
“What did you think of the morning show? Did you listen to it this morning?”
Forty of those 50 said, “Oh, I didn’t hear it.”
What the hell is that? You’re interviewing for a show….
The ten who listened to the show had a valid comment and knew what they were talking about. So we immediately cut out 80% of the applicants.
We tested for organizational skills. When someone walks into your office with a Blackberry or one of those appointment books, that’s pretty much a tip-off that they’re a detail oriented person.
We had the morning team ask questions about various things they were interested in. There were general pop culture questions, and we did a “hot box round” with the final candidates.
We gave them a test of general knowledge of the geographical area, so we were sure they could relate to Philadelphia.
A producer should have read the day’s paper and know the top four or five stories, for your age group, for your target demographic.
They should have the ability to use Microsoft Word. They should be able to know how to word process; they should be able to use audio software.
They have to interact well with a group. You’re not looking for a loner. You can pretty much tell if somebody’s sitting huddled in their seat whether or not they’re going to interact well with the rest of the team.
But you need a producer who’s going to interact well and can be forceful in that initial meeting.
At the follow-up interview, we asked for ideas for phone topics, thought starters, Internet polls — because we have an Internet poll that we do every day to increase traffic to the website. We asked them for three ideas for each of those.
We looked for somebody with a sense of humor, who’s able to not take stuff too seriously.
Also, I believe a producer should not be interested in being on the air initially.
Now, it’s one thing if you’re going to put these people on the air when somebody’s on vacation. But unless you’re specifically looking to combine the jobs of on-air talent and producer, the producer has enough on his or her plate to do off the air.
Some people don’t have the budget for that, and I understand that, but one of our criteria was that they should not be interested in being on the air. Going in, we told them this was not an on-air job. When you say that initially, you screen out a lot of people who are into it for their egos.
(Excerpted from Ross Brittain’s How To Find, Hire And Train A Great Morning Show Producer.)
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Be EXCITED! Content with gathering and creating good content-yes. I had my name put on cedits and that was weird to me….I never thought I would say that.. after all these years I enjoy working in the background..it's funny when I have to tell someone what I do they first ask with some interest,"Radio"? and then finding out the could -care-less response appears. I heard Mel Brooks mention the story when telling his mom he wrote comedy, "that's Nice Dear"
Oh well. Thank you prompter and earpiece for making the "Spontaneity!"
The best gig in the world … and thats from someone who went up the greasy pole to Programmer and realised he missed the studio too much 🙂
I feel like Rip Van Winkle. I think I slept through something. All of this used to be a prerequisite for the hiring of a Morning show host, not the 'producer'.
My perspective on this is different from most other people's … in that I actually *was* the producer for Ross at one point. I understand wanting to start with a tabula rasa (no pun intended) — but someone who's actually been in trenches before brings all sorts of experience which can come in handy. Also, it's the best training there is for people who do end up on air. Jay Sorensen and I had a show that worked because — despite having had no help whatsoever — both of us had worked as producers for high-profile shows, and knew what needed to be done to keep things moving.
Even if I didn't already know Anita (above) had worked with Ross, her pun (which makes no sense to anyone who doesn't know Ross) is proof.
so then it was a job that you did and worked to be as timely and efficient at it as you could…to lose focus by any of the distractions Ross mentioned would have been I would think a bummer for you and for the shows…yes? With that I would think you became trusted, respected , and created a professional reputation where ever you went.
But remember, just because somebody walks in to an interview without their Blackberry doesn’t mean they’re not detail-oriented. I think we all know folks who have these devices but are, to put it nicely, quite scatterbrained. Perhaps the interviewee doesn’t have one, or used their detail-oriented skills to realize, “Hey, I don’t need this thing right now, so I’m just gonna leave it here and reduce the clutter I’m taking with me”…just a thought…